Cable tool for setting liners

ABSTRACT

This invention concerns a tool for installing various items of equipment in an oil well by means of a cable, comprising a double locking system, which allows the tool to be separated from a tubular item of equipment, such as a liner, by converting the downward impulse imparted to a sleeve by a block dropped from the surface into an upward movement of another sleeve operating the locking system, so that it retracts. This tool is specially designed to lay production liner in oil wells by cable.

United States Patent 1 [111 3,845,819 Mourlevat I Nov. 5, 1974 I541CABLE TOOL FOR SETTING LINERS 2.674.314 4 1054 Baker et a1. 166/2392.923.562 2 1960 B1 II 'l. 3 [75] Inventor; Jean Mourlevat, CazcrcsrFrance 2,978,032 4; 1961 i235 4 [73] Assignee: Entreprise de Rechercheset 3,130,788 4/1964 Cochran et a1. 166/237 X Petrolieres Paris, l Roarkl i X France I Primary Examiner-David H. Brown [22] Flled' 1973Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Brisebois & Kruger [21] Appl. No.: 354,253

' [57] ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Apphcatlon Pnonty Data This inventionconcerns a tool for installing various Apr. 27, 1972 France 72.15018items of equipment in an Oil well by means of a cable comprising adouble locking system, which allows the [52] US. Cl. 166/239 too] to beSeparated from a tubular item of equipment [51] [11L Cl Ezlb 23/00 suchas a liner by converting the downward impulse [58] Fleld of Search166/237, 238, 239, 243, imparted to a Sleeve by a block dropped from the166/208 123 face into an upward movement of another sleeve oper- [56] Rf Ct d ating the locking system, so that it retracts.

UNI f l 8 This tool is specially designed to lay production liner TE STAES PATENTS in oil wells by cable. 2,401,119 5/1946 Taylor 166/237 X2,409,811 10/1946 Taylor et al. 166/193 X 6 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure 16*24 2/"' 20* 17; E [8 19 4 t5; Sf 74 1E 10 r 1 .3 11 it ER 2/ l l 8 2| 41]: 74 4- i i i l CABLE TOOL FOR SETTING LINERS This invention concernsa tool for laying items of equipment by cable, and more specifically forinstalling production liners at the bottoms of wells.

Various appliances make use of the sand-line cable or a steel wire toset up, shift and withdraw tools needed to bring wells into production,such as valves or plugs. For liners, however, whether or not they arehemetically connected to the well casing, the usual practice is toemploy drill pipe, rotated in an anticlockwise direction to separate thelaying connector from the liner. It is a long, complex operation todetach the connector, particularly at sea, with a floating rig.

This invention overcomes the drawbacks of this method, by offering atool which allows liners to be placed in position by means of thesand-line cable on the drilling rig, saving considerable time,particularly at sea, and eliminating the effect of heaving, if the lineris being installed from a floating rig.

This tool for the installation of production liner comprises anon-recoverable connection attached to the liner and containing aninternal circular groove, a tool component which fits inside thisconnector, with an end fitting to which the cable is attached and atleast one aperture facing the groove in the connector, a system to lockthe tool component to the non-recoverable connector, consisting of asleeve which moves a locking device through each aperture in the toolcomponent, by sliding inside the component, from a locking position inwhich the device locks the component to the connector, to an unlockingposition, in which the de-' vice retracts, releasing the connector, anda releasable stop blocking this sleeve in the lock position, with meansof releasing this stop, thereby releasing the sleeve and allowing it tomove into the unlocking position. t In one recommended embodiment, eachlocking device consists of a ball, which rests on the outer surface ofthe sleeve when in the locking position, and in the unlocking positionfits into a groove on the sleeve.

In this embodiment, the upper end of the tool is surrounded by a casingwhich slides over the outside of the component during unlocking, thusblocking the apertures and retaining the balls.

According to one feature of this embodiment, the releasable stopconsists of one or more balls and an upper sleeve containing a groove,which slides inside the tool component, from a position in which thesleeve is attached to the tool component by a removable connection, andthe ball rests on the outer surface of the vsleeve, pressing against ashoulder on the tool component and a seat on the lower sleeve, to asecond position in which the ball retracts into the groove on the uppersleeve.

According to another feature of this embodiment, the removableconnection between the tool component and upper sleeve consists of ashearing pin.

. According to another feature. the means of releasing the stop consistof a block, guided by the cable and left-hand side of this FIGURE showsa cross section of the tool assembly in the lowering position, and theright-hand side shows it in the raising-position, after the liner hasbeen installed.

On this FlGURE, a non-recoverable connector, (1) with a circular groove(3) on its inner surface, screws on to the strainer (2).

The tool component (4) fits inside this connector, with circularapertures (5) opposite the groove (3), and an end fixture (6),containing a suspension ring (7) in two parts, held in position by astop ring (9), and by means of which the tool is suspended on the cable(8).

inside the tool component slides a sleeve (10), acted on by a spring(11), the force of which is adjusted by washers (12). This sleevecontains a circular groove (13), and balls (14), in the apertures (5) onthe too component press against its outer surface.

The removable stop comprises an upper sleeve (16) containing a circulargroove (17), .and balls which press against the outer surface of theupper sleeve, against a shoulder (18) on the tool component, and againsta seat (19) consisting of the bevelled inner edge of the end of thelower easing (10).

The upper sleeve (16) is connected to the tool component (4) by ashearing pin (20), and contains a cable guide (21), in two parts, heldin place by a stop ring (22).

A casing (23), attached to the non-recoverable connector by means ofwires, (not shown here) slides over the outer surface of the toolcomponent until it is halted by a shoulder on the component (24). Itspurpose is to retain the balls (14).

A block (25), guided from the surface by the cable (8), strikes thesleeve.(16), breaking the pin (20).

This tool operates as follows;

During lowering, the tool component (4), attached to i the cable (8), islocked to the connector (I) screwed to the liner, by means of balls(14), held in position by the lower sleeve (10). This sleeve is held inthe locking position by balls (15), which press against a shoulder (18)on the tool component (4). The pin (20) maintains the whole assembly inthe locking position.

When the liner is in position at the bottom of the well, tension isapplied to the cable (8), and the block (25) is dropped from thesurface. When it comes into contact with the upper sleeve (16), itcauses a percussive effect, breaking the pin (20) and causing the sleeve(16) to slide inside the'tool component (4). Consequently, the groove(17 of the sleeve (16) reaches a position facing the balls (15),providing a recess for them, so that they no longer lock the lowersleeve (10) in position. This sleeve, under pressure of the spring (11),slides inside the tool component (4), until the groove (13) is oppositethe apertures (5), so that the balls (14) retract, and the connector l)is released, remaining attached to the liner.

The tension-meter on the winch on the surface detects separation of theconnector and liner from the tool.

While the cable carrying the tool component is being raised, the casing(23) retaining the balls, drawn by the wires connecting it to thenon-recoverable (1), slides along the tool component until stopped bythe shoulder (24), blocking the apertures (5) and. thus preventing theballs from falling into the well.

What is claimed is:

tool comprising:

a non-recoverable connector (1) having an internal diametersubstantially as great as that of said liner, said connector beingformed with an internal circular groove (3);

a recoverable tool component (4) and cable means slidably supportingsaid recoverable component within said connector, said component havingat least one aperture facing the groove in said connector when said toolis fastened to said connector;

means for attaching said tool component to the nonrecoverable connectorcomprising locking means (14) which project from the apertures in thetool component into said groove when in locking position; and

a main sleeve for moving said locking means into and out of said grooveby sliding inside the component between a locking position in which saidsleeve holds said locking means in said groove to connect said componentto said connector and a release position in which said sleeve permitssaid locking means to depart from said groove, thus releasing saidconnector, said main sleeve being supported by and removable with saidtool component;

a releasable stop (20) holding said sleeve in its locking position; and

means (25) for releasing said stop.

2. A tool as claimed in claim 1 in which said locking means comprises atleast one ball, which rests against the outer surface of the sleeve whenin the locking position and fits into a groove in the sleeve when in theunlocking position.

3. A tool as claimed in claim 2 in which the upper end of the toolcomprises a casing slidably encircling said tool component, and retainedabove the connector by a shoulder on the component when said lockingmeans are in locking position but positioned to cover the apertures insaid tool component and prevent escape of said at least one ball fromsaid apertures when said locking means are in their release position.

4. A tool as defined in claim 1, in which the releasable stop comprisesat least one ball and an additional upper sleeve containing a groove,which upper sleeve is mounted to slide inside the tool component, from aposition in which the upper sleeve is attached to the tool component bya releasable connection, and the ball rests on the outer surface of theupper sleeve, pressing against a shoulder on the tool component andagainst a seat on the main sleeve, to a second position in which theball retracts into the groove on the upper sleeve.

5. A tool as defined in claim 4 in which the releasable connectionbetween the tool component and upper sleeve consists of a shear pin.

6. A tool as defined in claim 4 in which the means for releasing thestop consists of a block, guided by the cable and adapted to break thereleasable connection between the tool component and upper sleeve bystriking the upper sleeve.

1. A tool for laying a production liner by cable, said tool comprising:a non-recoverable connector (1) having an internal diametersubstantially as great as that of said liner, said cOnnector beingformed with an internal circular groove (3); a recoverable toolcomponent (4) and cable means slidably supporting said recoverablecomponent within said connector, said component having at least oneaperture facing the groove in said connector when said tool is fastenedto said connector; means for attaching said tool component to thenon-recoverable connector comprising locking means (14) which projectfrom the apertures in the tool component into said groove when inlocking position; and a main sleeve (10) for moving said locking meansinto and out of said groove by sliding inside the component between alocking position in which said sleeve holds said locking means in saidgroove to connect said component to said connector and a releaseposition in which said sleeve permits said locking means to depart fromsaid groove, thus releasing said connector, said main sleeve beingsupported by and removable with said tool component; a releasable stop(20) holding said sleeve in its locking position; and means (25) forreleasing said stop.
 2. A tool as claimed in claim 1 in which saidlocking means comprises at least one ball, which rests against the outersurface of the sleeve when in the locking position and fits into agroove in the sleeve when in the unlocking position.
 3. A tool asclaimed in claim 2 in which the upper end of the tool comprises a casingslidably encircling said tool component, and retained above theconnector by a shoulder on the component when said locking means are inlocking position but positioned to cover the apertures in said toolcomponent and prevent escape of said at least one ball from saidapertures when said locking means are in their release position.
 4. Atool as defined in claim 1, in which the releasable stop comprises atleast one ball and an additional upper sleeve containing a groove, whichupper sleeve is mounted to slide inside the tool component, from aposition in which the upper sleeve is attached to the tool component bya releasable connection, and the ball rests on the outer surface of theupper sleeve, pressing against a shoulder on the tool component andagainst a seat on the main sleeve, to a second position in which theball retracts into the groove on the upper sleeve.
 5. A tool as definedin claim 4 in which the releasable connection between the tool componentand upper sleeve consists of a shear pin.
 6. A tool as defined in claim4 in which the means for releasing the stop consists of a block, guidedby the cable and adapted to break the releasable connection between thetool component and upper sleeve by striking the upper sleeve.